Saturday, February 23, 2013

Relaunch: Curlicue Designs' Something Blue Blog

Forgive the long absence from blogging, but despite the silence Curlicue Designs has been busy, busy, busy.

Instead of giving you a long description of the many and varied projects I've had the pleasure of working on, here are some highlights in pictures of last few months.


A fun project for a fun bride - matching calligraphy and ink to a pretty letterpress invitation

A new logo design for my other passion - macaron making!

Calligraphy doesn't have to be traditional - upright freehand for a young New York couple

Bridal shower invitations with fun stamps and lots of curlicues

Sample calligraphy for Smudge Ink's booth at the National Stationary Show


An elegant and classic invitation suite created for a traditional black tie wedding

Stay tuned! More blog posts are on the way :)



Monday, March 5, 2012

Curlicue Featured in Sam Nicols Photoshoot

Last spring, I had the great chance to work with the incredibly talented Sam Nicols for Cmostr Photography on a wedding photoshoot.  Sam gave me a lot of creative latitude on the pieces I was doing for her, so I wasn't sure what to expect in the final pictures.   I was blown away by Sam's eye.

The shoot was featured in Ruffledblog, but here are more images from Sam's site: http://www.cmostr.com/?p=607.

Enjoy!

Monday, January 23, 2012

It's an honor just being nominated...

After a year since being established, Curlicue Designs has won Wedding Wire's Bride's Choice Award for 2012! I am so thankful to all of the brides I had the pleasure of working with this year.  See press release below:



New York,NY} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Curlicue Designs Calligraphy has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Unique Services!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization,Curlicue Designs Calligraphy was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Curlicue Designs Calligraphy is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Curlicue Designs Calligraphy for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Curlicue Designs Calligraphy is one of the very best Unique Services professionals within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/curlicue-designs-calligraphy-new-york/55aad878d43ba3c6.html

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

###

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Heavy Metals: Sterling Silver Paper and Ink

The holidays are just around the corner and as Christmas and Hanukkah decorations are going up in the store windows here in NYC, I find myself getting inspired by the festive color palettes.

Silvery tones compliment a winter wedding perfectly with its icy cool shimmering tones. At a recent wedding of a friend, I scripted navy blue place cards with silver ink. The effect was classic and striking all at the same time.

Silver ink on navy. This elegant combination added a bit of shimmer and shine to a fall wedding.

But using ink isn't the only way to incorporate silver tones into your wedding. Choosing silver card stock  with black ink is no less eye-catching.

Silver place cards with black ink. 

Metallics add shimmer, shine and are a perfect highlight to any wedding color palette.  Tomorrow - going for the gold.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Fall Colors - A Little Rouge Goes a Long Way

Ah, I remember my school days when seeing red ink on my paper meant a not-so-great grade.  But I've recently done several calligraphy projects with red ink.  Despite my initial trepidation, I was bowled over by the elegant and eye-catching effect of the warm crimson letters on the page.

For a unique twist on calligraphy, don't forget to think about ink color choice. Calligraphers can find matching shades to every color of the rainbow using watercolor gouache (opaque watercolor paint that comes in tubes).  For now, here are some pictures of the "It" color of the season.


French red ink on ivory - menu, wine list and escort cards that are perfect for a rustic fall vineyard wedding

Red ink paired with extra large sweeping calligraphy makes a dramatic and elegant statement on wedding envelopes

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

DIY Envelopes: Pretty on the Inside and Out

Halloween has only just passed, but retailers are already stringing lights and hanging garlands. That's right, folks, 'tis definitely the season.  Before long, it will be time to put those Christmas cards in the mail. And what better way to make them even more special than by lining your envelopes in pretty paper?

As a calligrapher, it my job to prettify the outsides of envelopes with loops and swirls and curlicues, of course.  But my latest project involved making the insides of envelopes just as pretty as their hand-scripted outsides.

Lining your own envelopes can easily be done with some paper, scissor, a glue stick and some patience.  To make it virtually fool-proof, pre-cut liner templates can be used to trace the shape on the liner paper

I used variety of patterns and textures to match my envelopes. I simply selected the corresponding liner template to match the envelope size. Then all I had to do was trace, cut, slip the liner inside and glue.

Because just like your mom always told you, it's what's inside that counts.

The finished product - a beautiful little surprise when opened.

  I purchased these liner templates from Paper Source. The kit comes with templates for a variety of envelope sizes.

I used a variety of papers - from gift wrapper to scrapbooking. Just trace the template on the back of your paper and cut.


Use your imagination....envelope liners can range from elegant and opulent to fierce or festive.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Halloween Treats - Monogram Macarons and Jack-O'-Macs

Even though it looks more like Christmas than Halloween this snowy weekend in NYC, the spirit of the Great Pumpkin (gotta love Charlie Brown) is in full swing at Curlicue headquarters.  While calligraphy is my great love, baking is a close second.

My baking obsession for the last year has been to master the French macaron. This sweet confection is elegant, delicate and beautiful to look at - just like calligraphy.  So why not combine my two obsessions?

I made a box of festive treats for my sister-in-law and monogrammed a couple of fleur de sel caramel macarons and nestled them amongst a patch of Pumpkin Spice "Jack-O-Macs."  Happy Halloween!

My first monogrammed macarons for my sister and brother-in-law.  Who would have thought that the smooth surface of a macaron would make an ideal little writing canvas?
Gold ink on Black Cardstock
Pumpkin Spice Macaron Jack-O-Lanterns